


Like A White Fire Within

by StellaVesperis



Series: Fëanorian Week 2021 [1]
Category: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Annoying Brothers, Canon Compliant, Fëanorian Week 2021, Gen, Maedhros isn't as well as he thinks he is, Post-Rescue from Thangorodrim, Recovery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-23 17:14:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30058815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StellaVesperis/pseuds/StellaVesperis
Summary: Maedhros is getting better.Maglor is not convinced.
Relationships: Celegorm | Turcafinwë & Maedhros | Maitimo, Maedhros | Maitimo & Maglor | Makalaurë
Series: Fëanorian Week 2021 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2211360
Comments: 4
Kudos: 23





	Like A White Fire Within

**Author's Note:**

> It's Feanorian Week!   
> Prompt fill: adjusting/coping
> 
> I chose to rate this one as Teen and Up simply because Maedhros is having some mental issues. It's really nothing all that bad- I just wanted people to have a warning in case you don't do well with that stuff.
> 
> For those of you who don't know the Quenya names:   
> Maedhros- Maitimo/ Nelyo  
> Maglor- Makalaure/ Kano  
> Celegorm- Tyelkormo/Turco/Tyelko  
> Caranthir- Carnistir

“Go easy on him.” 

  
Makalaure had said those words softly as if he hadn’t intended his older brother to hear. He was lurking behind Tyelkormo with Carnistir, watching their every movement.    
  
He could, however, hear him, and as he bent to retrieve his sword, Maitimo stared him down. Makalaure refused to recoil under the gaze as he used to.    
  
“Ready?” Tyelkormo asked, squaring himself and extending his blade as an invitation.    
  
Maitimo nodded his head toward him. “Untie your hand.” 

  
“What?” Makalaure started and stepped forward, but Carnistir held him back. 

  
“Are you sure, Russandol?” The concern in Tyelkormo’s voice only irritated more. Tyelko wasn’t supposed to be concerned. Tyelko was supposed to make it his lifelong duty to annoy him. This pity- this concern- that was all he’d been surrounded by for the past few months. It was fine, to begin with, but now- now everyone was treating him as if the slightest things would kill him. 

  
“Untie it.” There was no debating it.    
  
Tyelkormo glanced behind him as if to verify with Carnistir and shrugged. His brother helped him undo the rope they had put around his left arm to pin it back, and Tyelko returned to his stance, now gripping the sword with two hands.    
  
Maitimo extended his with the left. 

  
The blades met, and he only managed a few successful parries before his brother forced him back.    
  
“Tyelko,” Makalaure said warningly. Maitimo grit his teeth in frustration. Ever since- ever since  _ that  _ place, Makalaure had been hypervigilant. It had started to become whiny. And it really grated on his nerves.    
  
There probably was some twisted-up guilt that made him behave like that, Maitimo admitted. Makalaure had been regent in his absence. It hadn’t gone exceedingly well. And ultimately- he didn’t like to think about it, but he knew it had happened- he’d been the one who’d decided not to ransom him.    
  
He felt guilty. Maitimo understood this. But did he really have to express this by being a mother hen?    
  
A surge of adrenaline from the aggravation enabled him to briefly force Tyelkormo backward. Even now, he could tell his younger brother wasn’t putting all his effort into deflecting him.    
  
Tyelkormo laughed. “Kano, if you annoyed him more often, then I think he might recover faster!”    
  
“I’m already recovered,” Maedhros snapped, just as his brother disarmed him for the fifth time in a row. Before even waiting for a reaction, he snatched his sword from the earth. “Again.”    
  
“I think you should take a break for a bit,” Makalaure tried again.    
  
_ Why don’t we give him a little break?  _   
  
He swung his sword as hard as he could against Tyelkormo’s, who dropped it out of sheer surprise. That voice had crept unbidden into his mind. It haunted his dreams at night, but it hadn’t followed him into the day before now.    
  
_ Let me deal with him for a bit.  _   
  
Maitimo pressed a hand to his forehead. As if that would actually stop him from speaking.    
  
“Maitimo?” Makalaure asked hesitantly.    
  
“Could you just shut up for five minutes!?” He yelled and marched over to his brother, whose eyes were wide. “I’m fine. I don’t need you to protect me. Just let me be.”    
  
“I’m only trying to help,” he managed.    
  
“Well, I don’t need your help!” He snapped. “I need to kill orcs. And I can’t do that if you’re treating me like I’m going to shatter.”    
  
A hand touched his shoulder, and he tensed. Tyelkormo. “Come. Let’s try again.”    
  
Maitimo closed his eyes and took a deep breath before returning to his place. He was already getting tired- yet another thing which frustrated him- and even if he had both of his hands, he knew that Tyelko would still beat him easily.    
  
_ Maitimo.  _   
  
He advanced, their blades meeting and singing at each intersection.    
  
_ They left you here.  _

  
He adjusted his grip just before Tyelko’s sword collided with his; he’d noticed that his brother had aimed for the spot on his sword that would cause it to slip through his fingers. 

  
_ They must really believe you deserve it.  _ _   
_ _   
_ Maitimo started to force Tyelkormo back.    
  
_ And you do, don’t you?  _ _   
_ _   
_ The sword clanged to the ground, and Tyelkormo stared, struck by the fire inside his brother’s eyes.    
  
_ Kinslayer.  _ _   
_ _   
_ “Don’t let me win again,” he said lowly, and Tyelkormo nodded slowly, bending over to retrieve his sword.    
  
He was going to get stronger. Faster. Braver. More agile. Whatever it took. He had to make everything count-  _ everything.  _ Because in this wilderness, there was no upper-hand. If there was any hope of fulfilling their Oath, any hope of defending his brothers, any hope of destroying every last piece of filth from Angband, then he’d have to.    
  
Once again, the brothers faced each other.    
  
“Ready?” Tyelkormo asked.    
  
“Ready,” Maitimo returned and fought as if all the fires of Hell were within him.    


**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for taking the time to read! I hope you enjoyed it :)   
> Any feedback is sincerely appreciated.


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